Clematis plant named ‘Evipo072’

ABSTRACT

A new  Clematis  plant with a compact growth habit, profuse, pink flowers, and continuous summer flowering. The variety successfully propagates from softwood cuttings and is suitable for cultivation in commercial nursery culture. This new and distinct variety has shown to be uniform and stable in the resulting generations from asexual propagation from vegetative cuttings.

Botanical classification: Genus: Clematis. Species: viticella.

Variety denomination: ‘Evipo072’.

SUMMARY OF THE CLAIMED PLANT

The present invention constitutes a new and distinct variety of Clematisplant which originated from a controlled crossing between the femaleseed parent, an un-named seedling, and the male pollen parent, anun-named seedling. Both parent varieties are non-patented.

The two parents were crossed during the summer of 2001 and the resultingseeds were planted the following winter in a controlled environment inGuernsey, Channel Islands, United Kingdom. The new variety named‘Evipo072’ originated as a single seedling from the stated cross.

The new clematis plant may be distinguished from its female seed parentand male pollen parent by the following characteristics. The female seedparent has mauve flowers while the new variety has pink flowers. Themale pollen parent is more compact than the newly claimed variety.

The objective of the hybridization of this clematis plant was to createa new and distinct variety for nursery culture with unique qualitiessuch as:

-   -   1. Uniform and abundant pink flowers;    -   2. Vigorous and compact growth, making the variety suitable for        container culture; and    -   3. Improved disease resistance.

This combination of qualities was lacking in clematis plants that werein commercial cultivation and the qualities have been substantiallyachieved in the new variety.

‘Evipo072’ was selected by Mogens N. Olesen and Raymond J. Evison intheir clematis development program in the Channel Islands, UnitedKingdom in 2002. Asexual reproduction of ‘Evipo072’ by means ofvegetative cuttings and traditional layering was first performed byMogens N. Olesen and Raymond J. Evison in the nursery during the summerof 2002. This initial and subsequent asexual propagations havedemonstrated that the characteristics of ‘Evipo072’ are true to type andare transmitted from one generation to the next.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying color illustration shows as true as is reasonablypossible to obtain in color photographs of this type the typicalcharacteristics of the buds, flowers, leaves, and stems, of ‘Evipo072’.

Specifically illustrated in the drawing are flowers at various stages ofdevelopment, a cluster of flowers on a stem, flower in parts, leaves,and stems. Plants shown are 2 years of age.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

The following is a detailed description of ‘Evipo072’, as observed inits growth throughout the flowering period in Yamhill County Oreg.Observed plants were cultivated for a period of 24 months in 2 litercontainers. Certain phenotypical characteristics of the variety may varyunder different environmental, cultural, agronomic, seasonal, andclimatic conditions. Color references are made using The RoyalHorticultural Society (London, England) Colour Chart, 2001, except wherecommon terms of color are used.

For a comparison, several physical characteristics of the clematisvariety ‘Poulala’ described and illustrated in U.S. Plant Pat. No.10,990are compared to ‘Evipo072’ in Chart 1.

CHART 1 ‘Evipo072’ ‘Poulala’ Flower diameter 110 mm 130 mm Tepal upperWhite Group N155B Yellow Group 10D surface with a central bar PurpleGroup 75A Tepal count 6 6 to 8

Flower and Flower Bud

-   Blooming habit: Continuous. The natural flowering period is    generally from May to September.-   Flower bud:    -   -   Size.—Normally 40 mm in length. Bud diameter is 15 mm.        -   Bud form.—Elliptic.        -   Bud color.—Yellow-Green Group 150D.-   Peduncle:    -   -   Surface texture.—Pubescent.        -   Length.—On average 32 mm.        -   Color.—Yellow-Green Group 144A.        -   Strength.—Moderately strong.-   Receptacle:    -   -   Surface texture.—Lightly pubescent.        -   Shape.—Broad funnel.        -   Size.—2 mm (h)×5 mm (w).        -   Color.—Yellow-Green Group 144A.-   Flower arrangement:    -   -   Location on vine.—New and old growth.        -   Borne.—Normally 3 to 5 flowers per stem.-   Flower bloom:    -   -   Size.—On average, flowers are 110 mm in diameter and 30 mm            in depth.        -   Fragrance.—None.        -   Lasting quality.—Flowers normally remain up to 10 days on            the plant.-   Tepals:    -   -   Tepal color.—The upper surface is White Group N155B blending            with the color of a central bar of Purple Group 75A. The            lower surface is White Group 155B splashed with Purple Group            75A, with a central bar of Yellow-Green Group 144D.        -   Quantity.—Normally 8 tepals.        -   Size.—About 50 mm in length by 35 mm wide.        -   Shape.—Individual tepal shape is spatulate. The tepal apex            is acuminate. The tepal base is acute.        -   Apex recurvature.—Slightly recurved.        -   Tepal cross section.—Slightly reflexed.        -   Margins.—Entire. Very strong undulations of margin observed.        -   Persistence.—Tepals drop off cleanly.-   Reproductive organs:    -   -   Arrangement.—Open filaments and anthers, compact pistils.        -   Pollen.—None observed.        -   Anthers.—Size: 5 mm in length. Color: Purple Group N77A.            Quantity: On average, 45.        -   Filaments.—Color: White Group 155C with intonations of            Purple Group 70C. Length: 7 mm.        -   Pistils.—Quantity: On average, 35.        -   Styles.—Color: Green-White Group 157D. Length: 12 mm.

Plant

-   Plant form: Climbing.-   Plant growth: Moderately vigorous.-   Size: Seasons growth attains 40 to 50 cm in height. Average spread    is 30 cm.-   Stems:    -   -   Color.—Juvenile stems are Yellow-Green Group 144A. Mature            stems are Greyed-Orange Group 174A.        -   Internodes.—On average, 5.5 cm between nodes.        -   Length.—Normally 20 cm from the base of the plant to the            flowering portion of the stem.        -   Diameter.—Normally 2 mm.        -   Texture.—Mature stems are generally ribbed.-   Plant foliage:    -   -   Leaf characteristics.—Deciduous.        -   Arrangement.—Trifoliate.        -   Leaf size.—Compound leaves are normally 110 mm (l)×115 mm            (w). Leaflets are normally 40 mm (l)×30 mm (w).        -   Abundance.—On average 1 leaf per 10 cm of stem.        -   Leaf color.—Juvenile upper Yellow-Green Group 144A. Juvenile            lower Yellow-Green Group 144A. Mature upper Yellow-Green            Group 146A. Mature lower Yellow-Green Group 147B.        -   Stipules.—Absent.        -   Petioles.—Size: Normally 27 mm in length by 1 mm diameter.            Texture: Smooth. Color: Yellow-Green Group 144B.        -   Petioloule.—Size: Normally 12 mm in length by 1 mm diameter.            Texture: Smooth. Color: Yellow-Green Group 144B.        -   Leaflet shape.—Generally elliptic. The base is rounded. The            apex is acute.        -   Margin.—Entire.        -   Surface.—The upper side is smooth. The lower side is smooth.        -   Thickness.—Average.        -   Glossiness.—Not glossy.-   Disease resistance: Subject to any disease that normally attacks the    species. However the variety is more tolerant to clematis wilt,    Ascochyta clematidina, than some clematis known to the inventors.-   Cold hardiness: The variety is tolerant to USDA Hardiness Zone 6.-   Heat tolerance: The variety has been found to be suitable for    climate conditions found in the American Horticulture Society heat    zone 7.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of clematis plant named‘Evipo072’, substantially as described and illustrated, due to itsabundant pink flowers with good keepability, attractive long lastingfoliage and compact growth, year round flowering under glasshouseconditions, suitability for production from softwood cuttings in pots,durable flowers and foliage which make the variety suitable fordistribution in the floral industry.